Love makes the difference

THE use of our senses and all our other human powers and faculties

depends on the motive and spirit that drives them. Their quality and

ultimate purpose will also depend on the same motive and spirit.

  

If we would just be motivated by worldly values, then most likely we

can only discern what is effective and beneficial in the persons,

things and situations around us in terms of convenience, practicality,

profitability, popularity, etc., and hardly anything beyond.

  

If we are only or mainly interested, for example, in earthly or

physical beauty, then we can only appreciate colors, shapes and feels

that are pleasant to our eyes and to the other senses and human

faculties we have.

  

Our senses and human faculties are tools and instruments at best, and

they need to be guided and animated properly. They actually just

cannot be left on their own, or left to their own devices, so to

speak, mainly at the mercy of biological, physical, chemical laws, or

some social, political, economic, cultural and historical trends and

conditionings.

Given our innate dignity as persons and children of God, our senses

and faculties need to be animated by the spirit of God no less. And

this can only mean that they have to be guided and driven, in the end

and always, by the theological gifts of faith, hope and charity. We

are not merely animals guided by instincts alone.

  

In this way, our senses and human faculties would not get stuck in the

level of the sensible and the intelligible, but would help us in our

entering into the spiritual and supernatural aspects of our life. We

are meant for this kind of life because of our rational nature that is

spiritual in character and therefore ought to be animated by the

supernatural spirit of God.

  

If we are driven by faith, hope and charity, we, for example, would

get to see and look at persons, things and events differently. We

would not be confined only to appearances and feelings.

  

We would look at things with a higher and nobler purpose and get to

see more than shape, color and size. We would get to see love, even if

things involve suffering. In fact, suffering becomes a clear

touchstone of love. As one love song would put it, “I’ll be looking at

the moon / but I’ll be seeing you.” That’s the difference love makes.

  

This point about love, the real love that comes from God, making a

difference in our life is important and urgently needed for us to

learn nowadays. And that’s simply because we cannot deny that at the

moment we are simply wallowing on shallow, passing and ephemeral

realities, offering us no stability and pledge of eternal life and

happiness that our heart actually is yearning for.

   

Even if things now look exciting and absorbing, they are only passing

realities. They don’t last. Sooner or later, we would get bored by

them, and boredom is a clear sign of the absence of love. With regard

to this, St. Paul already warned us that we who “use the things of

this world should not be dependent on them, for this world in its

present form is passing away.” (1 Cor 7,31)

  

In fact, the more exciting and absorbing they are, the more wary we

should be and more determined to keep our senses and faculties on the

right foundation and orientation.

  

That’s the reason why Christ told us very clearly that if we want to

follow him, we need to deny ourselves and carry the cross. (cfr Mt

16,24) There’s no other formula in life that is proper for us to

follow.